Daily Devotional

-March 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Our Spiritual Warfare-

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

(Ephesians 6:10-11).

From the moment we get saved until we get to heaven, we are engaged in spiritual warfare against the devil and all his demonic forces. By our identification with Jesus Christ, we are targets of all the attacks of the evil one. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil and wickedness in the heavenly places. We cannot see them but they are there. Not only that, but the angelic forces of God are in constant conflict with them.

The Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesians that our strength for the battle is completely in the Lord. He writes in verse 10, “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He defeated Satan and all the powers of evil and darkness. It was prophesied in Genesis 3:15 when the Lord told the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” The devil crucified Christ but Christ dealt him a mortal blow.

Though Satan is a defeated foe, he fights on until he is thrown into the lake of fire. He is angry, and uses everything in his arsenal to keep people from getting saved and to oppose the church and its work on earth. Jesus promised, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The Apostle Paul also encouraged us in Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

It is so important to protect ourselves from the onslaught of the devil’s attacks. Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Another word for wiles is schemes. The devil knows each of us very well and our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. All the pieces of the armor of God are defensive except the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

This passage in Ephesians 6:10-18, is the fullest account in the Bible of our spiritual warfare. In verse 18, we see how important prayer is, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” It is vital we pray for each other and for ourselves in this spiritual conflict. Prayer is both offensive and defensive alike.

Let us then fight the good fight of faith as soldiers of Christ, being strong in the Lord and putting on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the devil’s attacks. He takes no days off. We are on Christ’s side, the victorious side. We cannot take on the devil by ourselves, he is too crafty and too strong, but he is no match for our Lord Jesus Christ. We are strongest on our knees.

Have a blessed and victorious day by putting on the whole armor of God and being strong in the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean